Thread: GOCE satellite will crash into Earth

A little late in the day, but here's a little info on the GOCE satelite as it comes down.

Click onto this site to watch it's progress in real time.

SATVIEW - GOCE (09013A) - Tracking satellites in Real time

IF YOU'RE walking around outside during the next day or two, you might want to watch your head.

Fragments from a one-tonne European science satellite are set to crash into Earth, as the probe has completed its fact-finding mission.

The Gravity Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) satellite was sent into space in March 2009 on a mission to monitor variations in gravity and sea levels.

But on October 21 this year the sleek-finned craft ran out of fuel, leaving it without power to maintain its altitude in low orbit.

The GOCE has been freefalling from an altitude of around 160km, according to the European Space Agency.

The ESA estimates the re-entry window to be around 12.50pm today, but it continues to drift across the globe so exactly when and where it will hit no one can be sure.

The ESA real-time tracker says its altitude is steadily dropping as it currently drifts over South America and towards the Atlantic Ocean.


The satellite is now;

Lat 77.70 South, Long 35.84 W and Altitude of 130.08 km Speed = 28182.2 km/hr @ 16.02 pm NZ time (now, aprox)